WHITEWATER--The Whitewater High girls basketball team celebrated its seniors—including a pair that could not play—before a game with East Troy on Thursday night.

About 90 minutes later, the Whippets celebrated the fourth conference championship in program history.

Whitewater went on a 20-0 run to end the first quarter on its way to a 58-13 home victory to close out the regular season. The Whippets won 18 of their last 19 games and finished 14-2 in the Rock Valley North Conference, matching McFarland.

“Given the fact that we hadn’t had (a conference title) for almost 30 years until two years ago, it means a lot,” Whitewater coach Judy Harms said. “I talk about that with them a lot, leaving their Whippet mark.”

Mathews missed most of the season with a torn ACL and was fresh out of surgery but on hand for the ceremony.

Whitewater also honored senior manager Bailey Brokmeier in a big way. East Troy coach Jeff Brown allowed Brokmeier—whose career was ended three years ago due to a medical issue—to start the game and then exit after the opening tip.

“It’s moments like these that reminds us all that there’s more to athletics than the scoreboard,” Harms said.

By that point, the game was nearly an afterthought.

Whitewater clamped down with its full-court press to force 13 first-quarter turnovers and jumped to a 22-2 lead after eight minutes.

Whitewater won its second league title in three years. It’s only others came in 1983 and 1984.

“That was obviously our first goal coming into the season, to get the conference championship,” Trewyn said. “My sophomore year was great, but just to spend (this season) with my classmates and close friends is really fun.

“We started off pretty rocky in the beginning, so it’s great to see that we accomplished it.”

Whitewater opened the season with a 1-2 record and lost Mathews for the season shortly after.

It has rolled since then, with its only loss coming in overtime on the road against an undefeated Brodhead team.

“We had our struggles in the beginning, but to finish strong is really great,” Dolan said. “We (the seniors) joke around a lot and definitely have our moments, but when it comes down to business, we always focus in and get the job done.”

The Whippets, a No. 2 seed in the Division 3 WIAA tournament that begins next week, will host the winner of Evansville and Big Foot in a regional semifinal on March 7.